Improvement in fountain-pens



WILLIAM R. WALKER, OF CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

Letters Patent No. 93,024, dated July 27, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN' FOUNTAIN-PENS.

The Schedule referred to these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To alpersons to whom these presents may come:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM It. WALKER, .of Gon-4 cord, of the county of Merrimack, and State'of New Hampshire, have invented a new and useful` Improve? ment iu Fountain-Pen Handles and I do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specification, and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure l denotes a side elevation, and

Figure 2, a longitudinal section of a pen-handle, provided with my invention.

This handle, shown at A, is tubular, and provided, at its lower end, with a socket, or tubular clamp a, for holding a steel or metallic peu, P, to the lower portion c of the handle.

The inferior extremity of the handle is closed, eX- cept iii'having an opening, tl, going centrally through it. There extends. up through such opening and the interior space t' of the handle, a tube, B, provided at its lower end with avalve, e, for closing the opening (1,

which should have a diameter somewhat larger than that of the tube. A small collaii, f, of I udia rubber or leather, is placed ou the shoulder of the valve, and the bore of the tube is continued through the valve.

The said tube, at its upper end, is provided with a head or metallic cylinder, g, which is screwed on it, and serves to centralize the tube, and to rest against and support an elastic or iiexile membrane, 71, which constitutes the top of a trumpet-shaped cap, D, that is screwed into the upper cud of the tube A. A helical spring, E, encompasses the tube B, and

vrests on the bottom of the interior, or ink-space t, 0f

the handle.

At its top, the said spring bears against the lower end of the head g, the elastic power of extension of the spring serving to close the valve c upon its seat.

By pressing the forelinger of one hand on the head o1` membrane h, the valve may be forced off its seat, and the air within the space t' be so contracted on the ink or fluid, when contained in such space, as to expel a portion of it through the opening (l, and into the pen l.

On relieving the membrane from pressure, the spring E will not only close the valve, but force the membrane h upward at its middle, so as to rarefy the air within the space t, and cause air to low up through the bore of the tube B, in quantities sufficient to restore the air in the tube to the density it had previous to the expulsion of the ink.

`Tere it not for the air-passage of the tube B, the air within the ink-reservoir would be liable, after one 'or more inward movements of the membrane, to become so rareiied as to prevent the ink from being expelled from the opening at the lower end of the handle. Thev elastic head or' membrane performs another purpose; thatis, it servesA as a stopper to the upper end of the tube B, and thus 'prevents the escape of upon its side upon a desk or other article.

By having the membrane, or head h, applied to a cap, D, separate from the ink-reservoir t, and to screw into the upper' part thereof, I have an easy means of' uncovering the mouth of the reservoir, preparatory to supplying it with ink.

This could not so conveniently be 'done were the membrane applied and fastened directly to thetop ofp the reservoir.

The head g, by being Alarger in diameter than the upper end of the stem B,serves not only, with the cap D, to guide and centralize the stem, but as a broad any ink into the tube when the pen-handle is laid down vsupport or bearer for the membrane, so as to prevent the latter from being worn or perforated by the end of the tube during the downward movements of the said membrane.

I make no claim to a pen-handle provided with an ink-reservoir, such being old.

I would remark, that were the air-passage through the valve-stem omitted, the supply of air could be made by unscrewing the cap occasionally, so as to let air into the reservoir, but this is attended with more or less labor; but with the air-passage through the stem, there is an automatic action which causes the reservoir to be supplied with the air, and does not require the removal of the cap therefrom.

I`c1aim the combination and arrangement of the airpassage through the valve e, and its stem B, with such valve and stem, the spring E, the leXile 0r elastic membrane, or head h., and the reservoir t' of the penhandle A, the whole being to operate substantially as Set forth.

WM. R. WALKER.

Witnesses:

1t. H. EDDY, F. l). HALE, J r. 

